Blister pack carrier

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a package for carrying a plurality of blister packs or similar articles which normally include relatively thin and flat peripheral margins and an inboard chamber formed by the so-called blister in which may be housed, as an example, a bottle or similar container filled with pills, liquid or most any type merchantable product. The package includes a wrap-around type carrier having respective inner and outer closure panels, a pair of spaced side panels, and a top panel. Each side panel includes a plurality of aligned pairs of slots with the slots interlockingly receiving the flat marginal positions of the blister packs or similar articles for maintaining the same interlocked to the carrier and in spaced relationship to each other. In the embodiment illustrated the top panel is provided with a slot for interconnecting each uppermost pair of slots of the side panels to permit an uppermost flat marginal portion of the blister pack to project therethrough.

United States Patent [1 1 Morgese [54] BLISTER PACK CARRIER [75] Inventor: Nicholas V. Morgese, Garnerville,

[73] Assignee: Continental Can Company, Inc.,

New York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: June 19, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 47,256

1 1 Apr. 3, 1973 Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer Attorney-Diner, Brown, Ramik and Holt [57] ABSTRACT This disclosure relates to a package for carrying a plurality of blister packs or similar articles which normally include relatively thin and flat peripheral margins and an inboard chamber formed by the so-called blister in which may be housed, as an example, a bottle or similar container filled with pills, liquid or most any type merchantable product. The package includes a wrap-around type carrier having respective inner and outer closure panels, a pair of spaced side panels, and a top panel. Each side panel includes a plurality of aligned pairs of slots with the slots interlockingly receiving the flat marginal positions of the blister packs or similar articles for maintaining the same interlocked to the carrier and in spaced relationship to each other. In the embodiment illustrated the top panel is provided with a slot for interconnecting each uppermost pair of slots of the side panels to permit an uppermost flat marginal portion of the blister pack to project therethrough.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 3 I975 sum 2 OF 3 INVENTOR N ICHDLQS \LMDRGESE 4%: ATTO NEYS A primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel package or carrier for so-called blister" or stretch packages. A typical blister pack includes a base structure of paper stock material which may or may not be folded upon itself and includes an opening for partially or totally receiving a particular product. Heat-shrinkable material adhered to the paper stock material defines a housing which is shrunk and/or drawn into general conformity with the packaged articled. Thus, the over-all appearance of blister or stretch packs is that of an article having a bulbous central chamber and outboard thereof a periphery as margin which is partially or entirely defined by a relatively thin, flat, uniplanar marginal portion or peripheral edge. As should be appreciated, if this thin edge or marginal portion bounds the entire packaged article, difficulties are encountered in storing, packaging and transporting the packages in an upright position since the bottommost thin peripheral edge forms an extremely unstable supporting surface. This disadvantage of blister packages is somewhat overcome in stretch packs since the latter are designed to have the packaged article supported by its own base. However, if the packaged article is a relatively tall but small diametered article, such as a bottle for vitamin pills, the support offered to the over-all package by the base of the bottle is undesirablyunstable.

In keeping with the foregoing disadvantages in the packaging of blister packs and stretch packs, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel carrier of the wrap-around type wherein the heretofore most unstable part of the blister packs and stretch packs, namely, the thin, flat peripheral edges thereof, is utilized to form an interlock with slots of the carrier to provide steady support for each article and maintain a plurality of the articles in spaced relationship.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel package or carrier of the type aforesaid wherein the carrier is of the wrap-around type and includes a top panel, a pair of side panels, and a pair of closure panels, the latter of which are provided with cooperative interlocking latch means or equivalents thereof, the carrier including a plurality of pairs of slots in each of the side walls which in the blank form of the carrier each pair of slots in one side wall is in longitudinal alignment with an associated pair of slots of the other side wall whereby side peripheral edges or marginal portions of the packaged articles are interlocked by a minimum of four slots.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel package of the type heretofore described wherein each two transversely adjacent'uppermost slots of the side panels or walls are interconnected by a slot bridging the top panel whereby an uppermost thin, flat peripheral edge or marginal portions of the packaged article may project wholly and completely through the interconnecting slot.

- Still another object of this invention is to provide a I hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will bemore clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claimed subject matter, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a blank constructed in accordance with this invention from which is formed the package of FIG. 2, and illustrates a plurality of fold lines setting off a top panel, a pair of side panels, and a pair of closure panels with the side panels each having a plurality of pairs of slots in longitudinal alignment and in transverse spaced relationship with uppermost slots being bridged by a slot bridging the top panel.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a package or carrier formed from the blank of FIG. I, and illustrates a packaged article (stretch pack) housed within the carrier by means of the interlocked engagement between four slots of the side walls with two thin, flat peripheral side edges or margins of the stretch pack.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the package of FIG. 2, and more clearly illustrates the leftmost article interlocked with the slots of the carrier side panels.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, and more clearly illustrates the manner in which an uppermost thin peripheral edge or marginal portion of the packaged articles projects through the interconnecting or bridging slots of the top panel.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken generally along line 55 of FIG. 4, and illustrates the manner in which the closure panels are interlockingly secured to each other along the center line of the package.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along line 6-6 of FIG. 4, and illustrates the manner in which the interlocking means which are in the form of cooperative apertures and latching tabs and positioned between adjacent packaged articles.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 of thedrawings which illustrates a blank 10 constructed from paper stock or similar foldable material of a generally rectangular configuration defined by a pair of longitudinal edge portions 11, 12, a transverse edge portion 13 which is generally normal to the longitudinal edge portions 11, 12, and an undulating transverse edge portion 14. A plurality of transverse fold lines 15 through 23 span the blank 10 between the longitudinal edge portions ll, 12, and set off a plurality of panels or walls which will described immediately hereinafter.

An innermost or first closure panel or wall 25 is set off between the transverse edge 13, the transverse fold line 15, and portions of the longitudinal edges 11, 12. The closure panel 25 is of a generally rectangular configuration and includes six identical apertures or openings 26, each of which includes generally parallel edges 27, 28. The edges 27, 28 cooperate to interlockingly engage with primary and secondary latching tabs 30, 31 in a conventional manner, it being noted that the tabs 30, 31 are in longitudinal alignment with the apertures 26. Each primary tab 30 is formed by a cut line 32 joining interrupted portions (unnumbered) of the fold line 23, while the secondary latching tab 31 is defined in general by the undulating configuration of the transverse edge 14. The latching tabs 30, 31 form portions of another or outer closure panel 33 longitudinally opposite the closure panel 25 and defined by the undulating transverse edge 14, the fold line 22, and portions of the longitudinal edges 11, 12. When the blank 10 has been formed to the tubular configuration shown best in FIG. 5, each secondary latching tab 31 is inserted through an associated opening 26 and rests upon an interior surface of the inner closure 25 adjacent the edge 28 while each primary latching tab 30 is projected through an associated opening and rests upon an inner surface of the inner closure 35 adjacent the edge 27.

A first side panel or wall 35 is defined by the fold line 15, the fold line 17, and portions of the longitudinal edges 11, 12.

Another side panel 36 is set off by the fold lines 20, 22, and portions of the longitudinal edges 11, 12.

A top panel or wall 37 is set off by the fold lines 17, 20, and portions of the longitudinal edges 11, 12.

Each of the side panels 35, 36 includes a plurality of pairs of identical means in the form of pairs of slots, generally designated by the reference numeral 40, for maintaining articles A in interlocked relationship with the blank or carrier 10 when in a tubular configuration, in the manner best illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

Each pair of slots 40 of the side panels 35, 36 includes a first slot 41 and a second slot 42, the latter of which is elongated and is defined by a pair of parallel edges 43, 44 and a rounded terminal edge 45. The edges 43, 44 are parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the blank 10.

Each of the slots 41 likewise includes a pair of generally parallel edges 46, 47 in alignment with the respective edges 43, 44 of the most adjacent slot 42. The edges 46, 47 terminate at a rounded edge 48. The edges 46, 47 merge with respective edges 50, 51 which diverge away from each other in a direction away from the top panel 37, and terminate at an edge 52 in alignment with the fold lines 15, 22.

Each pair of longitudinally adjacent slots 42, 42 of the side panels 35, 36 are interconnected by a rectangular larger slot 53 which completely spans the top panel 37. Each slot 53 is defined by a pair of parallel edges 54, 55 and transverse edges 56, 57 merging with the slots 42.

Reference is now made particularly to FIGS. 2 through 6 in which one of a plurality of articles A which is packaged in the carrier 10 is fully illustrated, it being noted that the package A is a socalled stretch pack formed by a rectangular piece of paper stock material folded in half along a fold line 60 to define a plurality of relatively thin, uniplanar, flat peripheral edges or marginal portion 61 through 64. Prior to being folded in half in the manner illustrated in the drawings, the paper stock material in each half is formed with openings 65, 66 (FIG. 6) corresponding somewhat in outline to another article A which in the present case is a bottle or similar container in which is packaged still further articles (not shown) such as vitamin pills, liquid or similar merchandise. A preferably transparent sheet S of stretchable material is adhered to the paper stock material of the article A prior to being folded with the adherence being generally along borders B (FIG. outboard of the openings 65, 66. Thus, as the paper stock material of the article A is folded along the fold line 60, the sheet S stretches into general conformity with the article A, as is best illustrated in FIG. 4, and

when the two halves are united the result is the typical stretch pack A of FIGS. 2 through 6. As heretofore noted, the basic difference between such stretch pack articles A and so-called blister pack articles is that in the former the article itself serves as a base or support for the package A, as is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, while in blister packs the article A would be housed totally within all four of the peripheries or marginal portions 61 through 64.

The package or carrier 10 of FIGS. 2 through 6 is assembled by first positioning the planar blank of FIG. 1 above a plurality of vertically supported articles A which in the present case total six in number corresponding to the numbers of pairs of slots 40 of each of the side panels 35, 36 and the number of slots 53 spanning the top panel 37. The even-tually formed package is therefore of the usual six-pack type, although the number of the slots can be varied to package two, three, four, five, seven, etc. articles A in a particular package 10. Once so supported the blank is moved downwardly during which time each of the upper edge portions 61 of the articles A pass through the openings 53 in the top panel 37 and register with the slots 42 in each of the side panels 35, 36. As the blank 10 descends the edges or marginal portions 62, 63 of each article A are confined and interlocked between the edges 43, 44 of the slots 40, as is best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. Since the width of the slot 53 between the edges 54, is less than the over-all diameter of the article A housed within the sheet S, the upper portion (unnumbered) of the article A which in the present case is a removable cap, bottoms against the under side of the top panel 37 and precludes further movement of the end portion 61 through the slot 53. Thereafter the closure panels 25, 33 are folded inwardly and under the articles during which folding the converging edges 50, 51 of the slots 41 serve as guides to introduce the edge portions 62, 63 into interlocked relationship between the edges or marginal 46, 47 of the slots 41, in the manner best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6. Thereafter the interlocking means 26, 30 and 31 are interlocked in a conventional manner to complete the formation of the package.

It will be noted that as fully assembled the package 10 affords four points of interlocked engagement with each article A between the edge or marginal portions 62, 63 thereof, and each of the slots 41, 42 in each of the side panels 35, 36. Furthermore, the spacing between the pairs of slots 40 is such that each of the articles is. maintained in longitudinally spaced relationship, as is best illustrated in FIG. 3.

When it is desired to remove an article A from the package 10, one merely grasps the top panel 37 adjacent one of the slots 53 and pulls the same to tear the remaining portion of the side panels 35, 36 between the slots 41, 40. This action may be augmented by providing lines of weakening between adjacent rounded portions 45, 48 of the pairs of slots 40 (not shown).

From the foregoing it should be noted that extremely stable supported is afforded each of the articles A even though only limited self support is obtained by the base of the article A. Furthermore, assuming that the article A were of a blister type and that the article A was totally inboard of all four edges, the interlocking relationship heretofore noted would prove just as effective even though only line contact support would be provided by the bottommost edge 60 of the article.

While preferred forms and arrangements of parts have been shown in illustrating the invention, it is to be clearly understood that various changes in details and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

I claim:

1. A package comprising a plurality of articles which articles each have at least two oppositely disposed relatively thin and fiat marginal portions, and means at least partially housing each of said articles, said housing means being in the form of a tubular body defined by top, bottom and a pair of spaced side walls connecting corresponding edges of said top and bottom walls, means in said walls receiving marginal portions of said articles and maintaining said articles in spaced relationship, said maintaining means being defined by slot means in the walls of said tubular body which slot means is dimensioned to receive in interlocking relation said thin marginal portions of said articles, and said slot means including a plurality of sets of top and bottom slots with the sets thereof spaced from each other along the length of said tubular body with each set of slots including a top slot transversely spanning the entirety of said top wall and receiving a top marginal portion of one of said articles and co-operating with bottom slots in which thin marginal portions at the bottom of said article are seated.

2. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said articles at least partially houses another article within said marginal portions, and each said housed article is of a height corresponding to the distance between said top and bottom walls of said tubular body so as to rest on the bottom wall of said body and extend to adjacent the top wall thereof.

3. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said articles at least partially houses another article which housed article is of a height corresponding to the distance between said top and bottom walls of said tubular body, and wherein said housed articles are each of a width measured lengthwise of said tubular body which is greater than the width of the slots receiving the marginal portions thereof similarly measured.

4. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein a top marginal portion of each article projects entirely through an associated one of the slots in the top wall of said tubular body.

5. The package as defined in claim 2 wherein a top marginal portion of each article projects entirely through an associated one of the slots in the top wall of said tubular body and opposite ends of said top marginal portion are confined in end portions of said top wall slot which are of reduced width.

6. The package as defined in' claim 3 wherein a top marginal portion of each article projects entirely through an associated one of said top wall slots and wherein said top wall slots are defined by parallel spaced edges with portions of said edges at opposite ends being spaced a lesser distance apart so as to reduce the width of said top wall slots at opposite ends thereof. 

1. A package comprising a plurality of articles which articles each have at least two oppositely disposed relatively tHin and flat marginal portions, and means at least partially housing each of said articles, said housing means being in the form of a tubular body defined by top, bottom and a pair of spaced side walls connecting corresponding edges of said top and bottom walls, means in said walls receiving marginal portions of said articles and maintaining said articles in spaced relationship, said maintaining means being defined by slot means in the walls of said tubular body which slot means is dimensioned to receive in interlocking relation said thin marginal portions of said articles, and said slot means including a plurality of sets of top and bottom slots with the sets thereof spaced from each other along the length of said tubular body with each set of slots including a top slot transversely spanning the entirety of said top wall and receiving a top marginal portion of one of said articles and co-operating with bottom slots in which thin marginal portions at the bottom of said article are seated.
 2. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said articles at least partially houses another article within said marginal portions, and each said housed article is of a height corresponding to the distance between said top and bottom walls of said tubular body so as to rest on the bottom wall of said body and extend to adjacent the top wall thereof.
 3. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said articles at least partially houses another article which housed article is of a height corresponding to the distance between said top and bottom walls of said tubular body, and wherein said housed articles are each of a width measured lengthwise of said tubular body which is greater than the width of the slots receiving the marginal portions thereof similarly measured.
 4. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein a top marginal portion of each article projects entirely through an associated one of the slots in the top wall of said tubular body.
 5. The package as defined in claim 2 wherein a top marginal portion of each article projects entirely through an associated one of the slots in the top wall of said tubular body and opposite ends of said top marginal portion are confined in end portions of said top wall slot which are of reduced width.
 6. The package as defined in claim 3 wherein a top marginal portion of each article projects entirely through an associated one of said top wall slots and wherein said top wall slots are defined by parallel spaced edges with portions of said edges at opposite ends being spaced a lesser distance apart so as to reduce the width of said top wall slots at opposite ends thereof. 